Coffee & Treats in San Antonio

Located 20 minutes from downtown in the Potranco Pointe Shopping Center, Cupcake Junction indulges even the most discerning of epicures with more than 20 flavors, such as carrot, watermelon, piña colada, and old standbys like chocolate and vanilla. For the strong-willed valedictorian types who know exactly what they want, single-flavor cupcakes blanket the tippytop of your cuppycake with a frosting that matches your cake flavor. If you're a little more ambivalent, opt for the double flavor, which lets you mix and match your frosting to cake (chocolate-banana and pumpkin-cheesecake are two of their most popular flavors). Those who want their cupcakes to have viscera can choose a handheld treasure cake filled with Boston creme or candy pieces.

At Da Vinci Gelato & Caffe, a glass case shields 32 pans of gelato and sorbetto. Cinnamon dusts the peaks of tiramisu, and rivulets of chocolate snake through the grooves of amaretto. Sorbets brim with fruits of the season, from strawberry and watermelon in warmer months to pomegranate and pear when the sun turns its back on earth. Although flavors rotate regularly, one thing remains constant: each batch is whipped up fresh daily in accordance with authentic artisan recipes.

As a contrast to frozen treats, baristas make hot drinks and cooks prepare authentic italian paninis that bear dark stripes from being flattened between two Ferrari grills. The staff also assembles crepes and packs take-home containers of gelato.

The Old Testament tells the story of Joseph, a man who accumulated so much grain that it was like sand on the seashore; there was so much that he even lost track of all the records. Because of this abundance, he was able to save a nation from famine.

The owners of Joseph's Storehouse & Bakery have a similar story. After taking a serious interest in eating healthfully, they began to stockpile organically grown grain in their garage so they could make their own bread from flour they ground themselves. Like the wholesome breads that got them started, all their foods today are baked fresh and are free of chemicals, preservatives, and unnatural ingredients. Their expansive menu extinguishes meal-specific hunger pangs, quenching breakfast cravings with gourmet oatmeal and cinnamon-almond french toast, eradicating lunch cravings with classic club sandwiches, and solving dinner dilemmas with lasagna and chicken pot pie.

Unlike many kolacky-bakers, the owners of Kolache Stop don't have Czech heritage or recipes passed down through generations to guide them. Rather, they let their passion for the dense Central-European pastry bloom into a menu of unconventional breakfast, lunch, and dessert options. Fillings range from traditional fruit and cream cheese to jalapeño, pulled pork, and other Southwestern ingredients that the owners have dubbed "Tex-Czech." They also veer from tradition by putting their fillings inside rather than on top of every fluffy pastry bun.

Besides its titular snacks—which are baked fresh onsite every day—Kolache Stop charms sweet teeth with cinnamon rolls, cinnamon twists, and sticky buns on the weekends. Whether guests take their treats to go or stay to use free WiFi in the café, they can wash down their baked goods with coffees ground in-house, low-fat frappes, and smoothies made from real fruit rather than vegetables in disguise.

Madexalli Cultural Coffee Bar's atmosphere blends the best elements of coffeehouses and local taverns to create a laid-back spot for sipping a cup of coffee over a book or enjoying a beer and live music with friends. The aroma of signature bean blends fills the shop's bright interior as baristas dish up a menu of café fare and freshly baked treats. Cinnamon-dolce lattes romance taste buds like candy handed out by a Spanish bullfighter and bakers dip red velvet Maddie Cakes into a dark chocolate shell.

On Friday nights, karaoke crooners fill the patio with tunes as the crowd downs imported and domestic beers. The patio also features occasional jazz musicians and Spanish guitarists, who charm ears and confuse cars steered by echolocation with live music. Inside, curvy track lights and wrought-iron chandeliers illuminate the shop's red, orange-yellow, and green walls and the spacious wooden bar as patrons settle around café tables or sink into the sofa.

Prime Cultures Frozen Yogurt is a locally owned yogury that crafts cool scoops from real yogurt and fresh, seasonal fruits. You can witness a festival of yogurts led by original tart and tangy frozen yogurt ($2.50 for a small, $3.50 medium, $4.50 large), followed closely behind by specialty flavors such as green tea, cranagranate, or lemon lime ($3.50, $4.50, $5.50), and rounded out with floats of daily toppings including almonds, walnuts, honey, granola, coconut, graham crackers, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cocoa Pebbles, and the fruit battalion of blackberries, kiwi, peaches, mangoes, strawberries, and more ($1 for one topping, $1.25 for two, $1.50 for three).